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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23482702">late afternoon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/provetheworst/pseuds/Beans'>Beans (provetheworst)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Universal Century Gundam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Academy Era, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:16:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,202</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23482702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/provetheworst/pseuds/Beans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Garma takes his headphones off very suddenly, dropping them on his desk, and gets up. He walks over to Char. Fists clenched at his side, he says, "Char!"</p><p>Char squints at him, half-tempted to push his sunglasses up to get a better look, but he resists the urge. "Yes?"</p><p>"Char, do you - I'm going to watch a movie!"</p><p>Char laughs, despite himself. "Are you?"</p><p>--</p><p>Or: Garma works up the nerve to ask Char something.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Char Aznable/Garma Zabi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>late afternoon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's Sunday afternoon. The overhead light flickers, and Char leans back in his chair, arms behind his head as he stares up at it. He'll have to find a replacement lightbulb at some point soon. How dull.</p><p>All afternoon, Garma's been studying, headphones on, head buried in his books. Char can't even begin to guess what he's so intent on; none of what they've been working on is <i>that</i> difficult, and for all his faults, Garma's studious and diligent in his work. Of course, Char is better, but that simple fact has been enough to push Garma to work harder, too; he's been a solid and consistent second place over the last few months.</p><p>Seeing how hard he works is almost admirable, honestly. But, again: nothing they're working on right now should require such focus or attention. Char wants to ask what he's working on - worrying, for a fraction of a second, that he's forgotten some assignment, before dismissing the idea as absurd - but. He doesn't want to encourage Garma.</p><p>Except: Garma takes his headphones off very suddenly, dropping them on his desk, and gets up. He walks over to Char. Fists clenched at his side, he says, "Char!"</p><p>Char squints at him, half-tempted to push his sunglasses up to get a better look, but he resists the urge. "Yes?"</p><p>"Char, do you - I'm going to watch a movie!"</p><p>Char laughs, despite himself. "Are you?"</p><p>Garma bites his lip, for just a fraction of a second. His eyelashes flutter, and he glances to one side and then the other, not even trying to meet Char's eyes anymore. His fists tighten, and Char watches his throat work as he swallows. "Do you want to ... if you have the time, do you want to watch with me?"</p><p>"Oh." Char's mouth feels dry. He runs his tongue along his lips, without really meaning to, and just catches the way Garma's eyes track the movement. He pushes himself up out of his chair, which turns out to be a mistake, because Garma is still standing right there; now the two of them are very close, but not for any good reason. Char isn't trying to intimidate Garma or convince him of anything. They're just - close. Garma stares at him. Char remembers to answer. "Why not. What movie?"</p><p>Garma blinks once, twice. "I hadn't thought that far."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I thought you would say no, but I had to ask," Garma explains. He's shaking, just a little, but he's mustered up the confidence to look directly at Char for now. Admirable of him. Char doesn't quite get why Garma's so afraid of him, but it's come in handy on more than one occasion. "Do you ... even like movies?"</p><p>Char scoffs, then realizes he doesn't have a good answer for that. "I don't really watch them. They're fine."</p><p>"They're fine," Garma repeats, quiet and a little incredulous. "Char, what do you - I've roomed with you all this time, but I don't even know what you do with your free time."</p><p>Char shrugs. Garma's still very, very close. Char could reach out and strangle him, if he wanted. He thinks that Garma's skin must be very soft. Fragile. His fingers curl, but don't quite close, and he presses his thumbnail hard against the pad of his ring finger, hard enough so it hurts.</p><p>"Well, maybe if - maybe if you try, with me? You'll like it?" Garma tries, hopeful. His confidence is up, for whatever reason. He holds his head high, shoulders squared, like this suggestion of his is some great accomplishment he's been working up to for days. "Maybe you'll like watching movies, I mean. Ah, now I have to think of a good one!"</p><p>"Just show me one you like," Char says, half smiling. "The worst thing that could happen is I hate it, and even then, you've only wasted an hour and a half of my time."</p><p>"Right, right." Garma nods, quickly. He takes a half step back, then catches himself, freezing in place. "Char ..."</p><p>Char takes a half step forward. Just because he can. Garma's looking at his face, but not meeting his eyes. Char wonders what could be so interesting; he finds himself looking at Garma in return, more closely than usual, studying the curve of his cheeks, the angle of his jaw, the bow of his lips. As Char is watching, Garma's cheeks color faintly, tinged red.</p><p>It's a good color on him. Char reaches out, to see how warm Garma must feel. His skin's as soft as Char had thought; Char's thumb, calloused as it is, grazes lightly against Garma's cheek, and Garma inhales sharply.</p><p>"You're warm," Char says, simply, as if that explains his action at all, which it doesn't. He fumbles a little for words. For a fraction of a second, Garma turns toward him, pressing into that touch, before he seems to catch himself and leans back. "You were blushing." That doesn't help, either. Char's hand hovers in midair between them, millimeters away from contact. "Do you feel alright?"</p><p>"Fine! Fine, fine, fine," Garma stammers. "I'm fine."</p><p>Char could do just about anything, he thinks, and Garma wouldn't mind. Garma would be fine with it; it’s been obvious for a while now that Garma has some sort of fixation with Char, that he feels something like yearning. An unfamiliar feeling to Char himself, but one he’s come to recognize in others. He touches Garma's chin, the faintest pressure making Garma look up at him.</p><p>Then Garma closes his eyes.</p><p>Char stares at him. </p><p>They're very close, is the thing. The two of them are - they've been this close before, for other reasons. But it's different, this way, alone in their room, Garma's head tilted expectantly. His brows furrow for a moment, then even out. His breath is a little faster than usual. Char knows this - because. Because he does. He pays attention to Garma, so of course he knows this. Has to know things like this to know if he's getting the right reaction and pushing Garma the right ways.</p><p>He doesn't know if this is the right way. If this is what he wants. Whatever this is.</p><p>"Char," Garma breathes, ever-so-quiet. “You don’t have to be scared, you can -“</p><p>Then Garma seems to decide better of himself and whatever he's saying; he half-opens one eye, searching Char's expression for something, and then he leans in, and his mouth is on Char's, and Char is not sure, exactly, what to do or what to make of this. He spreads his fingers out, cupping Garma's face with that one hand. His other is a fist at his side. (Char doesn’t get a chance to ask what Garma thinks he’s afraid of. He wants to, but doesn’t. Later, maybe. He isn’t afraid, not of Garma. Never of Garma.)</p><p>Char is always trying to push Garma to be more confident, and this forwardness has clearly taken some effort on Garma's part; it wouldn't do for Char to wreck his self-esteem now. Not on this particular front, anyway. </p><p>Char's never kissed anyone before, but. He can try. Maybe it will even be good for Garma, to have something he's better at than Char, for once.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i spend a lot of time hollering about gundam on social media so like, please feel free to follow me @aflightybroad on twitter or @aflightybroad@goblin.camp on mastodon, where i am ALWAYS down to talk about char aznable's lack of hobbies or whatever.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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